Siberian Crane in Taiwan

Hi, This is a Far East rarity twitch for any one planning to visit Taiwan or transit in Taipei in near future. Quite similar case like the Long-billed Dowitcher in Victoria as the national first ever record. However for a bus trip of only 1.5 hrs from Taipei central and the global rarity of the bird, I thought it is worthwhile to share this. An exceptionally tame 1st winter Siberian Crane turning up at an organic farming patch (1st ever in Taiwan) since early Dec 2014 has caused quite a stir among the local birders and conservationists. Its movement has been confined to a very small patch of field and is constantly monitored on its diet and behavior. I have just returned from a very short 3 nights stay in Taiwan (my 1st ever trip to the country). Mainly a social and family focused trip, but I still managed to take a 1.5 hours bus trip (#1815 Platform 7 from city hall bus interchange, departs averagely half hourly) to visit the site on Sat 27/12/2014 to the site and the bird was feeding and roosting right beside the carpark of the iconic 7-eleven store (w toilet and lunch facilities). Following is the facebook fan page set up for the Crane. Unfortunately it is mostly in chinese and my posting is one of very few in English. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=425808677570417&id=418768578274427 [Latest update is that the crane was attacked by stray dogs at its night roost. Volunteers chased away the dogs and scar was observed on the neck the next morning. Hope more preventive actions will be taken] Following are few of my photos taken on site. The weather while I was there was miserably damp and dim but we were lucky to view and photograph it under the shelter of a farmer’s hut. https://www.flickr.com/photos/tunpin/tags/siberiancrane/ I have managed to find only one news in English so far. Note: pls don’t confuse this w Beijing’s China. http://www.getinews.com/news-9150096-Taiwan-wetlands-welcome-occasional-visitors-Siberian-Crane-drawing-bird-lovers-onlookers.html Happy to translate or answer any logistics questions or forward Ur queries to the relevant party. Taiwan is a very safe country. The Taiwanese are generally very friendly and helpful, except that English is not as widely understood as other parts of Asia such as Singapore or Malaysia. Regards, Tun Pin Ong Sydney Sent from my iPhone